


It's So Cold In The Back Of The Image That Your Mind Holds

by playdollx



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Angst, M/M, lots and lots of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-05-12 18:01:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5675386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/playdollx/pseuds/playdollx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack has big plans, big big plans that are almost complete and would need him to head down to Pandora for a couple of days. However, Rhys isn't so keen about this spontaneous trip especially when he knows nothing of it but Jack goes anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's So Cold In The Back Of The Image That Your Mind Holds

**Author's Note:**

> It's like half 5 in the morning and I haven't written in years and I needed to write and at the same time I kinda feel we need more straight up angst fics in this ship so here I am destroying lives!!! Because it's so late and I haven't written in years this might not be the best thing I could ever produce so go easy on me.

Rhys was ready to kill his boyfriend, that is if someone hadn't already beaten him to it. He was practically seeing red as he paced in front of his boyfriends desk, glaring down at his ECHO that beeped attempting to get in contact with said boyfriend. Rhys has been pacing like this and ringing Jack for the past 10 minutes, the only result he would ever get is a single loud beep telling him that Jack either wasn't picking up or had declined the call, only for Rhys to attempt once again at calling. 

When he heard the beep again he threw his ECHO across the large office with a yell, slamming his fists into the desk and laying his head in his hands. With his lanky frame and the desk quite low the position looked just as uncomfortable as it felt but that was the last thing he was bothered about right now. The anger and heartache inside of him was all he could feel right about now, he was absolutely furious. Jack had completely ignored Rhys and even lied straight to his face the night before about going down to Pandora for something he wouldn't even tell Rhys, something that was a part of his 'big mission' as he called it and that Rhys didn't need to know about any of it and that he would be thankful when it was complete. 

Rhys couldn't even put his finger on exactly why he was so upset and hurt that Jack had gone down to Pandora and lied to him, it wasn't like it was the first time Jack had ever lied to Rhys even to his face and been caught out in the lie. It was at the point that Rhys didn't even care about most of the time Jack would lie about something because sometimes Jack was just an asshole and that’s what he would do in order to get/do whatever the fuck he wants and as sad as it is to say, Rhys really had just learnt to accept his habit of lying. 

It wasn't even the worry that Jack wouldn't be able to defend himself down on Pandora, he knew full well Jack would likely be safe down there since he's given Rhys many lessons about guns and firing them and how to actually fight just in case he was ever in a situation where he would have to use a gun in order to keep himself alive. Not only that, Jack would likely be down on a Hyperion base on the planet and surrounded by other Hyperion workers and guards that would make sure Jack would be safe and sound. 

When Jack had told him the first time about how he may have to make a spontaneous trip down to Pandora sometime soon a few days ago, Rhys immediately had a horrible feeling about it. It's an indescribable feeling that made his heart feel heavy and stomach start to knot, though it wasn't one that caused him a lot of pain. It was almost as though the feeling wasn't there really unless he concentrated on it, but at the same time he knew it was there and he could feel it subconsciously. Before he could actually help it or even think about how he was to react to what Jack had said, his body just threw it out there for him. 

“No, you're not.”

Jack had paused mid way through buttoning his dress shirt and looked up at Rhys, a confused and disbelieved look on his face. It wasn't so much what Rhys had said really, it was more the tone he used to say it, sharp and nasty. The look Jack was giving Rhys didn't exactly help the regret he was feeling after what he had blurted out but decided to stand his ground anyway and continue with his defence. 

There was a long pause of the pair simply staring at each other, neither one doing or saying anything at all, Jack attempting to read Rhys face and Rhys trying not to crack under Jacks stare. “Hold on,” Jack began laughing, “run that one by me again cupcake, 'cos I'm sure you didn't just tell me I'm not going to do something that is part of my fucking job.” 

As Jack began to laugh harder, Rhys found it more and more difficult not to crack and say he’s sorry before throwing himself onto his boyfriend and beg for forgiveness on his knees because that's just the kind of person Jack is and will make Rhys beg for his forgiveness and beg for it on his knees. When Jack had realised Rhys wasn't going to give in and continued to sit there with a stone face watching Jack laugh he slowly calmed down laughing before continuing to get dressed. 

“I'm not going to start a debate or an argument with you about it babe, besides I'll only be gone for a couple of days I'm sure you wont burn down the fucking station in such a short amount of time.” Jack continued as he finished getting dressed, moving over to one of the large mirrors in the room and checking himself out in it and making sure he looked good enough for the day. 

“You're not going down on Pandora, I won't let you.” Rhys had continued with the same sharp and nasty tone as before, except this time Jack didn't look anything but angry as he stared at Rhys through the mirror he was in front of, eyebrows furrowed and a deep frown set on his face. For a brief second Rhys actually feared for his life. 

Instead of continuing the conversation (if you could actually call it that) or jumping on the bed and strangling the life out of his boyfriend, Jack simply walked out of the bedroom with a loud slam of the door that Rhys was sure shook the entire station. 

The next time it was mentioned about Jack going down to Pandora was the night before he had disappeared down there. The couple were in bed, Rhys laying with his head laid on Jacks bare stomach slowly falling asleep whilst Jack himself was slouched against the headboard lazily reading and replying to all his emails he was too busy to do so earlier in the day. Rhys was in a weird state between sleeping and being conscious and ready to let himself drift fully into sleep before Jack brought him out of his state by saying his name quietly to which Rhys softly hummed as the only response Jack was going to get out of him at that moment. 

“I need to talk to you,” Jack started and paused for a moment waiting for Rhys to reply or even give some sort of noise again to acknowledge what he had said. When Rhys didn't say anything Jack continued anyway, “it's about going to Pandora.”

As soon as the word 'Pandora' was said Rhys' heart began beating fast and hard, the feeling from before coming back even worse than last time, almost making him double over in pain. Instead he put the pain to the back of his head and did his best to ignore it whilst shifting his position in bed so that he was laid next to Jack with his head resting on the pillow looking up at his boyfriend, who in turn was looking back down at him. “Go on.”

Jack sighed softly and turned off his ECHO, placing it on the bedside table and preparing himself for the potential argument they will have over it. He would have just left it but he really didn't want to just up and leave Rhys in the morning and leave Rhys with absolutely no idea where he could have gone. No matter the result of the conversation whether Rhys is willing to let him go to Pandora or not, he is going to that shit stain planet tomorrow and Rhys will thank him for it, eventually. 

“I'm probably going to be going down there tomorrow,” Rhys' eyes immediately went wide and looked as though he was about to start crying before quickly turning into anger, though Jack was quick to stop him from speaking against it. “Before you say anything, I have to go for the company babe, it's not like I WANT to go down there but I don't exactly have a choice here, you will thank me for it very soon I promise.”

For the longest moment it was quiet and Rhys only looked up at Jack from where he laid, his face furious, nostrils flared and breathing heavily through them as his chest rose and fell noticeably as Rhys was breathing deeply, tears almost glossing over his eyes completely before he attempted to blink them away. Jack was about to say something else in an attempt to comfort his boyfriend from being so clearly upset with this news but before he could Rhys had silently turned over onto his side, back facing Jack and pulled the cover up and over his shoulder. Jack sighed and rubbed his face before laying down properly in the bed and moving closer to Rhys, wrapping his arm over Rhys' waist and nuzzling his face into the back of his neck. 

For awhile the pair laid like that, neither moving or saying anything, just enjoying each other as much as Rhys didn't want to admit it at the time since he was so mad and upset with his boyfriend, he just couldn't help but enjoy how nice it felt. 

“Why don't you want me to go? You've never had a problem before.”

Jack could hear and feel Rhys sigh softly against him before turning around so he could face Jack, Jack himself moving away for a moment as not to get an elbow to the face or anywhere else whilst Rhys was turning around in bed. Rhys didn't answer Jack straight away, instead tried to ignore and look away from Jacks gaze since he hated when Jack saw him upset or cry and was more embarrassed by it than anything. “I don't know, I have a bad feeling about it.”

Jack furrowed his eyebrows before pressing on with questions, “did you never have a bad feeling about all the other times? Why do you have a bad feeling this time? It's nothing different than any other time.”

All Rhys could do was shrug as he couldn't stop himself from crying more, the tears running fast down his face and sobs escaping his lips as Jack wrapped his arms around Rhys and pulled him to his chest. Jack didn't say anything as he let Rhys cry against his chest, letting him get it out of his system and rubbing his back to comfort him. Jack was actually starting to feel a little bad about going down to Pandora now. Seeing his boyfriend so clearly worked up and upset about him going down there made him reconsider for a second on not going and maybe sending someone else to do his job for him, stay on Helios and monitor from there. It didn't take long for him to push that idea straight out of his head. He HAD to be there, HE had to be the one who completed the mission, HE had to be the one down on Pandora, HE had to be the hero. 

“Promise me you won't go,” Rhys whispered against Jacks chest after he had calmed down from his crying, though Jack didn't quite hear what Rhys actually said.

“What was that princess?”

“Don't go to Pandora, promise me you wont go there tomorrow,” Rhys repeated, moving away from Jacks chest and laying his head on the pillow facing Jack. Jack didn't say anything at first and instead just stared at his boyfriend, racking his brain for what he should say. 

“I promise.”


End file.
